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Blood lipase
Medical expert of the article
Last reviewed: 05.07.2025
Reference values (norm) of lipase activity in blood serum are 0-190 IU/l.
Lipase is an enzyme that catalyzes the breakdown of glycerides into glycerol and higher fatty acids. This enzyme is produced in the human body by a number of organs and tissues, which allows us to distinguish between lipase of gastric origin, pancreas, lipase of the lungs, intestines, leukocytes, etc. The most important from a clinical point of view is pancreatic lipase.
Pancreatic lipase plays a major role in the digestion of fats. Since the main source of lipase is the pancreas, when it is diseased, there is a significant release of the enzyme into the circulating blood.
Determination of lipase activity in the blood is considered the most informative criterion for diagnosing acute pancreatitis. There is a misconception that in acute pancreatitis, the lipase content in the blood increases later than amylase, but remains elevated for a longer period of time. In fact, lipase activity increases and decreases in parallel with the increase and decrease in amylase activity, but its level normalizes later than amylase. Sometimes lipase activity in the blood increases earlier than amylase, and remains elevated for a long time.
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